Britain’s Man Inside the IRA: The Truth Behind Stakeknife (Ep 1)
4/19/202645 min
Who was the real man behind the infamous codename, “Stakeknife”? Why did he join the ranks of the IRA? And how did he become a spy for the British?
Listen as David and Gordon begin a four-part series delving into the true story behind the British state’s most valuable IRA mole during The Troubles.
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First 90 secondsDavid McCloskey· Host0:00
[upbeat music] For exclusive interviews, bonus episodes, ad-free listening, early access to series, first look at live show tickets, a weekly newsletter, and discounted books, join the Declassified Club at therestisclassified.com. How do you run an undercover agent inside an organization like the IRA? And do you let your agent commit murder? [gunshot] This is a story that neither the IRA nor the British state have wanted to be told. [upbeat music] Well, welcome to The Rest is Classified. I'm David McCloskey.
Gordon Corera· Host0:41
And I'm Gordon Corera.
David McCloskey· Host0:43
And today we are starting a series looking at maybe one of the most controversial agents ever in British intelligence history, a man with the code name Steak Knife, a British spy at the heart of the Irish Republican Army, the IRA. And we do a lot of stories, obviously, on this podcast about agents inside groups, CIA agents or assets inside the KGB, assets inside MI6, Russian assets inside MI6. We look at their motivation for doing what they do, how they're handled, what happens with the intelligence they provide, and the difference it makes. And this story is similar in many respects. It's about an agent that's being